Coming Up at the Astra...

This month we will be looking at exercise trackers like Fitbit and also at step counter apps for your phone. October is ‘Walktober’ - Australia’s walking month - so after this session we will be well prepared to increase our activity and get out and about!

We will have our usual morning cup of tea before the session gets underway, and then we will break in time for lunch. As always, anyone is welcome, and if you wish to get familiar with how you can use specific apps please bring your devices down with you.

Arrrrr me hearties, it be talk like a pirate day! And in honour of this the Astra will be pirate-themed all day. We will have pirate decorations and costumes…and extra points go to those brave souls who attempt the accent. Shiver me timbers!

Oktoberfest has become an international cause for celebrating with beer, friends and family. So we thought we’d do the same with a lunch for residents, friends and family…and sample some beers while we’re at it. Come along to celebrate with us - prizes for the best Bavarian costumes on the day!

This month is Australia’s walking month, and we will be organising a number of activities to go along with this theme. We will have a bus trip for those who want to come on a day walk, step challenges for those who want to see how they can increase their walking, and a walking group for residents who want to meet regularly for a walk. More details to follow…

For all of those coffee lovers out there, it’s International Coffee Day, and we intend to raise a cup or two to our favourite bean. Details of an event to follow, but expect some tasting and an exploration of the wonders of coffee at the very least…

This day is dedicated to all things brainy, and it’s all the more relevant for us over 55 year olds. It’s so important for us to keep our brains healthy, so in support of this we will have an afternoon tea with brain teasers, logic puzzles and trivia questions.

Welcome to a new year of technology workshops! This year we will be revisiting some of the more popular topics from last year, as well as investigating new and interesting ones. Keep your eyes peeled for information on what the topic is each month…

We will have our usual morning cup of tea before the session gets underway, and then we will break in time for lunch. As always, anyone is welcome, and if you wish to get familiar with how you can use specific apps please bring your devices down with you.

It’s that time of year again folks and we are off to the races…figuratively, at least. We will have our annual Melbourne Cup lunch, with sweeps and lots of race-day excitement, followed by a viewing of the race itself. So get out your poshest frocks and dust down your hats and fascinators and be prepared for a whole lot of fun.

Welcome to a new year of technology workshops! This year we will be revisiting some of the more popular topics from last year, as well as investigating new and interesting ones. Keep your eyes peeled for information on what the topic is each month…

We will have our usual morning cup of tea before the session gets underway, and then we will break in time for lunch. As always, anyone is welcome, and if you wish to get familiar with how you can use specific apps please bring your devices down with you.

Join us for an interactive cake baking session in celebration of ‘Bake a Cake Day’! Bring down your favourite recipes, share tips for baking the perfect cake, and generally have fun while we engage in a little culinary therapy. Even if you don’t love baking, feel free to come and enjoy the fruits of our labours as we share our cake with a cuppa and good friends. Not to be missed!

Why not join us and make a gift in time for Christmas? Make a Gift Day is celebrated on 3rd December, and gives you the opportunity to start thinking about that dreaded present list. Hand-made gifts are always well appreciated, especially by the person in your life who seems to have everything! We will be talking about interesting and unique ideas for gift-making in this session, as well as having hands-on practical activities throughout. Please come along and bring your friends - the more the merrier.

Please join us for our annual Christmas event, where we have a lovely dinner followed by plenty of desserts, drinks and dancing. We will meet in the lounge at 5pm to have a pre-dinner drink, and then head to the Bondi Tratt for a beautiful Christmas meal of turkey and ham with all the trimmings. After dinner we will be joined by a musician who will serenade us through dessert, the raffle and beyond. Put on your dancing shoes and prepare for a touch of Christmas sparkle in 2019…

Welcome to a new year of technology workshops! This year we will be revisiting some of the more popular topics from last year, as well as investigating new and interesting ones. Keep your eyes peeled for information on what the topic is each month…

We will have our usual morning cup of tea before the session gets underway, and then we will break in time for lunch. As always, anyone is welcome, and if you wish to get familiar with how you can use specific apps please bring your devices down with you.

Happy New Year to one and all! The Astra will be celebrating this new year with a BBQ in the courtyard for residents, friends and family. Everyone is welcome. What a great place for us to be seeing in the new year!

A representative from Proud Mary will show interested residents and friends what’s new in River Boat Cruising this afternoon, over some complimentary wine and nibbles.

Proud Mary is based in South Australia - the equivalent to European cruising but in your own back yard! This afternoon promises to be a fun exploration of new itineraries including the Barossa Valley and amazing Kangaroo Island, and to take a sneak peak at the newly refurbished Proud Mary.

It was Bowling Day in August, so to commemorate this fact Astra residents will be taking a trip to have a couple of games of 10 pin bowling in the Entertainment Quarter. Family and friends are very welcome to join us. The cost for the bowling will be $20, and we will have lunch afterwards in the area.

Resident Noni has been running free sessions of Qi Gong at the Astra for some time. Noni has been studying Qi Gong in Australia and China for many years and is an experienced teacher. Qi Gong is a form of Tai Chi; a gentle form of exercise, with slow movements that are geared for people with injuries, chronic conditions, and reduced flexibility. It can improve mobility, lower blood pressure, increase blood circulation, improve digestion, increase cardiovascular strength and reduce stress levels. Come along in some comfortable clothes on a Thursday morning to join in. Free for Astra residents, by donation for friends.

In conjunction with International Photography Day last week, we will be holding a photography workshop led by professional photographer Guy Wilkinson. Guy will talk about his many years as a photographer, and guide us through his best hints and tips for taking photos. Bring along your camera or phone so you can join in with the practical element of the day.

We will have an afternoon tea with some cakes and fruit alongside the workshop. It will be free for residents and friends so please take this opportunity to join us for what promises to be a fun and informative event.

Resident Noni has been running free sessions of Qi Gong at the Astra for some time. Noni has been studying Qi Gong in Australia and China for many years and is an experienced teacher. Qi Gong is a form of Tai Chi; a gentle form of exercise, with slow movements that are geared for people with injuries, chronic conditions, and reduced flexibility. It can improve mobility, lower blood pressure, increase blood circulation, improve digestion, increase cardiovascular strength and reduce stress levels. Come along in some comfortable clothes on a Thursday morning to join in. Free for Astra residents, by donation for friends.

This month’s workshop is all about MyGov - how to create an account, how to link a service such as Medicare and more. Please join us for this important topic, as technology becomes more ubiquitous in our daily life.

We will have our usual morning cup of tea before the session gets underway, and then we will break in time for lunch. As always, anyone is welcome, and if you wish to get familiar with how you can use specific apps please bring your devices down with you.

We are going to celebrate all things literary today, with a number of book-themed activities. We will have a book swap set up, an opportunity for residents and friends to discuss their favourite books, and other activities to be confirmed. Keep an eye out for more details…

This morning we will be having a presentation by Jo Bourke from INS Lifeguard. She will explain the features and benefits of our new emergency call system, and the services that are provided with the system. There will be a Q&A session, so please come along if you have any questions or comments about the system.

Time to dust off your dancing shoes and prepare yourself for a night of fun, food and Christmas cheer. We will kick off the evening with drinks in the lounge at 5pm, and then Christmas dinner at the Bondi Tratt next door at 5:30pm. After dinner it’s back to the lounge for desserts, music and as much dancing as you can handle! Friend of the Astra John Campbell will be providing us with live music throughout the evening. It is $40 for everything, or just $12 for dessert. Please let the office know if you would like to join us. Family and friends are very welcome.

This afternoon tea we are having a special event - a healthy sleep demonstration by Wenatex The Sleep System Consultant, Brett Jones. This is a free event put on by Wenatex, and will consist of tea, coffee and treats, a gift for every guest (including the chance to win a Lucky Door prize), and a fun and informative discussion about sleep. Some of the issues to be addressed are:

Overheating

Snoring, sleep apnea, asthma and other respiratory conditions

Skin irritation and allergies

Back, muscular and joint aches and pains

Arthritis and poor mobility

Poor circulation, cramping and inflammatory conditions

Gastric reflux/hiatus hernia

Difficulties sleeping

Do come along for this event as it is sure to be interesting and useful. And who can pass up the opportunity of a free afternoon tea?!

Today we will have our last of 5 movies this week along the theme of space exploration. This afternoon we will be showing ‘The Right Stuff’, the story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program.

Today we will have our fourth of 5 movies this week along the theme of space exploration. This afternoon we will be showing ‘Interstellar’, the 2014 box office hit that shows a team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.

Today we will have our third of 5 movies this week along the theme of space exploration. This afternoon we will be showing ‘Space Cowboys’, a fun adventure action story. When a retired engineer is called upon to rescue a failing satellite, he insists that his equally old teammates accompany him into space.

Today we will have our second of 5 movies this week along the theme of space exploration. This afternoon we will be showing ‘The Dish’, a heart-warming tale of a remote Australian community, populated by quirky characters, that plays a key role in the first Apollo moon landing.

Bondi Beach Astra Retirement Village

The Bondi Beach Astra is a Retirement Village comprised of 55 independent living units, situated in the heart of Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. The Astra is a beautiful art-deco building on Campbell Parade, directly opposite the iconic Bondi Beach. Residents of the Astra have access to a wide range of facilities such as a communal lounge, games room, courtyard with BBQ and indoor pool area with serviced gym equipment. The Bondi Beach Astra is perfect for active, independent and social people over 55 years of age, who value comfort, natural beauty and community. Close to shops, restaurants and parks, the Astra is conveniently situated close to Bondi Junction and the city of Sydney. There are a small number of excellent properties available for sale now - don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!